Army Lt. Col. Not Allowed Into Daughter's School Due to Uniform

An Army lieutenant colonel with 24 years of duty and tours of Iraq and Afghanistan serving his country was refused entrance into his daughter's Michigan high school — because he was wearing his Army uniform.

Lt. Col. Sherwood Baker was dropping his daughter Kelly off at Rochester Adams High School, planning to chat with a guidance counselor about her class schedule, when a security guard told him before he could come in, he would have to change clothing "because it might offend another student," Fox News Detroit reported.

The guard and three other school employees told Baker that it was a standing school policy, even though the board insists there is no such policy.

"Before he was allowed in, the security guard stopped him and said, 'Sorry, you're not allowed in the school.' Security told him men and women in uniform weren't allowed because it may offend another student," Baker's wife, Rachel Ferhadson, told Fox News.

"They told him some kids might not understand and might be offended. So they gave him a choice — told him he could phone in to the office or go home and change his clothes," Ferhadson said, ABC-7 reports.

Rochester's school district scrambled to clear up the mess, with Marine veteran and Rochester Schools superintendent Robert Shaner releasing a statement saying, "The district has apologized for any perception that individuals in uniform are not welcome in the school.

"The district does not have a policy excluding individuals in uniform and will be working with administration and the firm that handles our security to make sure district policies are understood and communicated accurately.

"We regret this unfortunate incident and want to assure our military community that we respect and honor their service to our country."

Baker and his family will be meeting with the school's principal to discuss the incident.

"I can't believe they would even think like that," a parent of a student, Jim Reynolds, told Fox News Detroit. "After all they do for our country, it's crazy."

His daughter told Fox News Detroit, “I was really, really happy that he was back. He's been really kind and always asks me how my day is after I come home from school."

Other Americans usually thank Baker for his service, she said, adding, "I remember one time somebody paid for our dinner."

An Army lieutenant colonel with 24 years of duty and tours of Iraq and Afghanistan serving his country was refused entrance into his daughter's Michigan high school — because he was wearing his Army uniform.